The road to Dongping Prefecture stretched long and silent beneath overcast skies. Trees flanked both sides, whispering in the wind like watchful sentinels. The caravan from Yanhe City moved in steady rhythm—horse-drawn carts, elite disciples, and clan patriarchs all pressing forward toward a city few among them had ever seen.
At the very front rode Li Yuan Tian, his expression carved from stone. His eyes scanned the path ahead without emotion, but his mind ticked with quiet intensity. He had long since mastered the art of detachment. Except for his family and a few trusted retainers, everyone else was little more than a moving piece on a board.
Behind him rode Han Jue, humming a tune under his breath. His relaxed demeanor stood in stark contrast to Li Zhu, who kept adjusting his sword sheath and muttering calculations under his breath.
"You think the Dongping disciples are stronger than us?" Li Zhu asked, his voice tight with nerves.
"They should be," Han Jue replied, grinning. "That's what makes it fun."
The patriarchs of the four great clans—Gu, Lei, Zhao, and Han—rode near Old Bai, all sharing a serious atmosphere. This was not just a journey. This was a march into the eyes of giants.
And then the city appeared.
Dongping City loomed in the distance like a fortress built to defy heaven—thick black stone walls layered with defensive arrays, glowing faintly under the afternoon light. Guard towers stood every hundred meters, and from within the formation lines, the qi of Meridian Expansion Realm cultivators shimmered like quiet pressure ready to erupt.
As the caravan drew closer, more details emerged. Giant bronze lion statues flanked the main gate, eyes inlaid with spirit crystals that flickered ominously. Wide banners fluttered above, displaying the crest of Dongping—a silver dragon entwined with stormclouds—overlooking the bustling city beyond.
The gates opened with a low grind. Inside, Dongping buzzed with controlled vitality. Cultivators in fine robes strolled across broad plazas etched with spiritual sigils, and merchant stalls sold rare herbs, weapons, and even beast cores. The city was layered—elevated tiers where power concentrated, and deeper districts where the average citizen barely glimpsed the cultivators who ruled from the heights.
"This city… it's something else," murmured Han Jue, wide-eyed.
"Compared to Yanhe, this place is another world," Li Zhu added, his voice filled with equal parts awe and anxiety.
At the gate, a group of armored guards stepped forward. Their captain bowed sharply. "His Excellency, City Lord Xuan Mu, will receive you."
A man stepped forth.
Clad in regal black and blue robes adorned with the crest of Dongping, Xuan Mu was neither young nor old. His eyes, like ink diluted with stormwater, swept over the delegation from Yanhe with a calm that unsettled.
Old Bai and the four patriarchs stepped forward and cupped their fists.
"Greetings, Lord Xuan."
Xuan Mu inclined his head. "You've arrived. Later than expected."
"There were minor disruptions," replied Zhao Yufeng with a careful smile.
Xuan Mu studied them silently for a moment. The air felt heavier. Though he exuded no killing intent, everyone instinctively straightened their backs.
Li Yuan Tian narrowed his eyes slightly. So this is Dongping's gatekeeper.
His instincts sharpened immediately. The man's cultivation wasn't ordinary. He was not just another puppet administrator—his qi was compressed, refined, contained within his body like a sea restrained by a dam.
Peak of the mid-stage Meridian Expansion Realm.
Someone at this level could level half of Yanhe City on his own.
Xuan Mu finally gestured. "Lodgings have been arranged for your delegation. The regional semifinals will begin in four days. Until then, I suggest your disciples keep to themselves. Dongping does not tolerate foolishness."
He turned and left, the guards following in silence. Even his retreat felt like an unspoken threat.
Once out of earshot, Han Jue muttered, "I don't think he likes us."
Li Zhu exhaled. "He didn't need to say it. I felt it."
Li Yuan Tian remained silent. But his gaze lingered on the gate where Xuan Mu had vanished. This man wasn't simply a bureaucrat. There was calculation in his silence. Restraint. Depth.
And that made him dangerous.